After Ubisoft announced a slew of Assassin's Creed projects last year, rumors have been circulating that it is also working on an unannounced Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag remake. Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag is one of the most popular games in the franchise, and it makes sense that the studio would want to capitalize on that success. While it will likely pay off, it also feels like Ubisoft missed a golden opportunity with the Black Flag concept.
Instead of remaking Assassin's Creed 4 Black Flag, Ubisoft should have focused on creating the next chapter in the Kenway family's story. As of now, Ezio is the only one who has headlined multiple mainline entries, but Edward Kenway could have been the perfect replacement. His swashbuckling adventures could have continued for an entire trilogy, and it may have ultimately been a larger hit than the iconic Ezio trilogy.
Assassin's Creed Black Flag 2 Was an Easy Win
After the end of the Ezio trilogy, it felt like Ubisoft did not really know how to carry on the franchise. Assassin's Creed 3 was a decent end to the Desmond Miles' story, but Connor’s personality did not compare to the charisma of Ezio. The locale was blander, the story was not as strong, and everything about it just felt off. While it was massively successful, fans were yearning for something different, and that is where Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag came in.
Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag took the franchise to the high seas for a brand-new pirate adventure. While it kept much of the core combat of the previous games, Ubisoft completely changed the core gameplay loop with the introduction of naval combat. Players spend more time sailing through the ocean than they did doing classic Assassin shenanigans on land, and Edward Kenway was one of the most charismatic protagonists in the franchise. Fans instantly fell in love with the new formula, but for some reason, Ubisoft chose to abandon the premise.
Not only did Assassin's Creed Unity take the series in a new direction with the introduction of co-op, but it also left the entire Kenway family behind. Assassin's Creed Rogue would replicate Black Flag's formula and the Kenways would be mentioned in Assassin's Creed Syndicate, but neither title compared to the fantastic adventures of Black Flag. Instead of exploring what fans loved, Ubisoft tried to reinvent the franchise even more with varying success.
It seems like Ubisoft is finally returning to the franchise's roots with Assassin's Creed Mirage and the rumored Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag remake. Assassin's Creed Mirage looks like everything fans have been yearning for, but the Black Flag remake seems like a strange choice. The game came out 10 years ago and still holds up incredibly well, and a new Edward Kenway adventure could be a lot more fun. It feels way too early to remake the game, especially when the Kenway family still has so many stories waiting to be told.
While nothing has been confirmed yet, the Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag remake feels like a very safe bet for Ubisoft, and that is partially what makes it unneeded. The studio knows it will be a success, which is likely why it would rather revisit this popular game than take another risk with the IP. Fans will likely flock to it, but even more fans may have jumped on a second Black Flag instead. Telling new stories with these characters is usually more interesting than re-exploring the same stories again; especially when the game is barely showing its age in 2023.
Assassin’s Creed 4 Black Flag Remake is rumored to be in development.